Free wood (gloat) cost me $100 (another gloat). How to store some of this wood?

[Rob Price]

Total surprise yesterday, one of my co-workers' father runs a nursery up in Ohio. He also likes to turn bowls. He has a lot of the local tree surgeons bring him choice lumber and apparently has piles of stuff sitting around. He came to town for a hunting trip with his son and to my surprise also showed up with some black walnut and cherry for me! Now comes the hard part- I really am not set up to process logs like this. I have a 12" resaw bandsaw but no chainsaw- until today. I told the wife the chainsaw is cheaper than buying walnut blanks.

The two smaller pieces are about 8" diameter (they are sitting on some scrap 1x6's from my deck. Apparently they have been out under some snow and are sopping wet and a little funky- these will be the practice pieces. I'm letting them dry a hair before I jump in. They have some spalting, I'm concerned about bugs, so they stay outside for now. The larger one is very green, 12-13" in diameter and 3' long. It's in a plastic bag in the shop right now. It has three different piths on one end, so I'm guessing there's some cool grain inside. The bark is also in great shape- would make some great NE pieces if I knew what I was doing. I haven't even turned a single bowl yet though.

There's also a branch of cherry that should make some nice smaller bowls.

My question for you guys- what's the best way to store the big log so I can hone my skills a bit before I try to tackle it. Cut it up into blanks and seal it? (I have paste wax on hand) Leave it as a log? My basement has a storage area, we keep the humidity at 50% and the temp stays between 70-74 degrees year round (it's next to our finished/heated basement). Could I store it in there?

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GUFINxHaMQg/TxmsY1Fk7_I/AAAAAAAABjU/jfX-NGFD2ak/s800/IMG_1084.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rKWMGvbeqyo/TxmsaHkkKPI/AAAAAAAABjc/8Gvzu1J7AKU/s640/IMG_1085.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EhFD6X7TyWw/TxmsazbadZI/AAAAAAAABjk/jZcFBgCkZlA/s640/IMG_1086.jpg

[Jim Burr]

I have a couple 2x4's set like rails on a concrete pad so I can put logs on them and still get air flow. I always paint the ends with latex paint after trimming the checks and they are fine! I'm doing the plastic food wrap on smaller stuff and have just hit 1 year on some Michigan walnut with no checks, just some mold.

[Bill Wyko]

"anybody seen my tape measure?"

It's next to the pencils. LMAO

Nice score. You'll want to seal the ends and keep it out of the weather. Other than that, put it somewhere out of the way and forget about it til it's ready to use.

[Jamie Donaldson]

It appears the ends are sealed on the 2 dryer pieces, so do the same on the green log and put it back outside with the others. I wouldn't leave it in a plastic bag because that will become a fungus farm when warmer weather arrives. To reduce any serious splitting in the green log, and to play with the new saw, cut right down the center to eliminate the pith.

[Bill Bulloch]

I always cut the pith out and anchorseal the ends and store under a roof.

[charlie knighton]

nice gloat, you have gotten some good advise

[Rob Price]

Thanks guys. I don't have anchorseal, but I do have buckets of latex paint around here I can use. Outside it goes. I have roughed the outside of an oak burl bowl, its in a plastic bag and hopefully tomorrow i can finish roughing the inside and I'll post some pics- it's some really gnarly wood. Then I plan on practicing some small bowls on the cherry and smaller walnut logs. I can't wait to get into the bigger log. I can keep them under my deck so they don't get direct rain, but they will get dripped on, should I get a piece of tin to go above them?

[Bill Bulloch]

I can keep them under my deck so they don't get direct rain, but they will get dripped on, should I get a piece of tin to go above them?

I would, at least they will be dry when you go to work with them. The main thing, though, is that they will be out of the Sun.

[Rob Price]

I guess I can add the chainsaw to the vortex tab.